Biologically Active Peptide Vapeehptllteaplnpk Derivatives

ABSTRACT

Peptides derived from the peptide CMS-010, which has the formula VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK, are disclosed with their use as pharmaceutical compositions. A method is also disclosed for making a pharmaceutical composition comprising providing a peptide derived from CMS-010 and mixing said peptide with a pharmaceutical acceptable carrier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No.60/566,455 filed on 28 Apr. 2004, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(E) (specificallyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to short peptides and the use thereof.In particular, the present invention is related to short peptides withbiological activities.

2. Description of the Related Art

Peptides are known in the art for treatment of diseases and aspharmaceutical compositions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,113discloses a peptide that has inhibitory activity for the growth ofsmooth muscle cells and is therefore useful for preventing and treatingpathological conditions associated with growth of smooth muscle cellssuch as arteriosclerosis, restenosis after angioplasty, luminal stenosisafter grafting blood vessel and smooth muscle sarcoma. U.S. Pat. No.6,184,208 discloses another peptide that is found to modulatephysiological processes such as weight gain activity of the epithelialgrowth zone and hair growth. Furthermore, PCT publication no. WO03/006492 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/237,405 suggested thatcertain peptides and their pharmaceutical compositions are biologicallyactive and capable of modulating immune responses.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shortpeptide or peptides that have biological activity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention relates to peptides derived from the 18amino acid-containing peptide CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (SEQ IDNo. 1) which have been found to contain biological activity, whereinsaid peptides do not comprise the sequence of the peptide CMS-010. Fortesting purposes, samples of these peptides were chemically synthesizedwith L-amino acids. Further aspects of the present invention include anisolated or purified peptide comprising, consisting essentially of orconsisting of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein saidpeptide does not comprise the sequence of the peptide CMS-010 (SEQ IDNo. 1). Another aspect relates to substantially pure peptides comprisingpeptides selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptides do notcomprise the sequence of the peptide CMS-010.

Another aspect of the invention is the administration of a peptidecomprising, consisting essentially of or consisting of a sequenceselected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does not comprisethe sequence of the peptide CMS-010, wherein the effects of saidadministration are selected from the group consisting of the suppressionof immune cell transformation, the suppression of NK cell activity, theenhancement of NK cell activity, the suppression of antibody formationin vivo, the suppression of cell proliferation, the suppression of tumorgrowth, the suppression of nephritis and a decrease in proteinuria. Insome embodiments, the suppression of immune cell transformation is thesuppression of T-lymphocyte transformation by ConA in vitro. In someembodiments, the suppression of immune cell transformation is thesuppression of T-lymphocyte transformation in vivo. In some embodiments,the suppression of cell proliferation is the suppression of thedevelopment of sarcoma cells in vivo. In some embodiments, thesuppression of nephritis is the suppression of nephritis due toanti-renal epitope antibodies.

Additional aspects of the invention relate to a peptide comprising,consisting essentially of or consisting of a sequence selected from SEQID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of thepeptide CMS-010, that consists of L-amino acids. In some embodiments,the peptide comprising, consisting essentially of or consisting of asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of the peptide CMS-010, is in a substantially pureform.

Another aspect of the invention relates to pharmaceutical compositionscomprising a peptide that comprises a sequence selected from SEQ ID No.2-31, wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of the peptideCMS-010. In some embodiments, pharmaceutical compositions comprising apeptide that comprises a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, whereinsaid peptide does not comprise the sequence of the peptide CMS-010,comprise peptides that consist of L-amino acids.

Yet another aspect of the invention are methods of making apharmaceutical composition comprising providing a peptide that comprisesa sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of the peptide CMS-010, and mixing the peptidewith a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Still another aspect of the invention are methods of reducing theeffects of a human disease comprising administering a pharmaceuticallyeffective dose of a peptide that comprises a sequence selected from SEQID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of thepeptide CMS-010. In some embodiments, said human is suffering from acell proliferative and/or an immunological disorder. In someembodiments, the cell proliferative disorder is a cancer, a sarcomaand/or a tumor.

An additional aspect of the invention is a method of modulating theimmune system of an individual comprising administering apharmaceutically effective dose of a peptide that comprises a sequenceselected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does not comprisethe sequence of the peptide CMS-010.

Another aspect of the invention is the use of a peptide that comprises asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 as a pharmaceutical compound,wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of the peptideCMS-010. In some embodiments, the peptide is used for treating a diseasestate in the form of a cell proliferative disorder and/or animmunological disorder. In some embodiments, the cell proliferativedisorder being treated is a sarcoma.

Yet another aspect of the invention is the use of a peptide thatcomprises a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 as an immune systemmodulator, wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of thepeptide CMS-010. In some embodiments, the modulation of the immunesystem is the enhancement or suppression of NK cell activity.

An additional aspect of the invention is the use of a peptide thatcomprises a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 as a nutritionalsupplement, wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of thepeptide CMS-010.

Another aspect of the invention is a molecule comprising an enhancedderivative of a peptide that comprises a sequence selected from SEQ IDNo. 2-31, comprising an enhancement molecule operably linked to saidpeptide, wherein the enhancement molecule enhances the therapeuticeffectiveness of said peptide and said peptide does not comprise thesequence of the peptide CMS-010.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Each of the five figures demonstrates exemplary chemical reactions forlinking peptides to steroid molecules.

FIG. 1 shows a series of chemical reactions for linking a peptide to anestrone molecule with a covalent bond.

FIG. 2 shows a second, alternative set of reactions for creating thesame linkage as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 contains a series of chemical reactions designed to link apeptide to a molecule of estradiol with a covalent bond.

FIG. 4 contains a second series of chemical reactions for creating thesame linkage as in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 demonstrates a method of linking a peptide via a covalent bond toa molecule of hydrocortisone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT I. Introduction

The peptide CMS-010 (SEQ ID No. 1), having the sequenceVAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK, was discovered to have biological immuno-regulatoryactivity (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/178,684) and hastherapeutic potential for human use. The present invention relates tofragments and derivatives of CMS-010 that have biological activity. Inparticular embodiments, the invention includes the fragments andderivatives whose sequences are given as SEQ ID No. 2-31. In someembodiments, the fragments may have substitutions and/or additionalmolecular groups, or may be functional derivatives of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK(CMS-010). Uses of the CMS-010 fragments and derivatives include theregulation of cells and tissues. CMS-010 fragments and derivatives canbe incorporated in pharmaceutical preparations and nutritionalsupplements.

It is understood that it may be possible to add additional amino acidsto the amino or carboxyl termini of a peptide that comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31,wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010, andfunctional derivatives thereof as another method of practicing thepresent invention. In such embodiments, a peptide that comprises,consists essentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ IDNo. 2-31, wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence ofCMS-010, and functional derivatives thereof maintains one or more of thetherapeutic or functional properties described herein. For example, insome embodiments, one or two amino acids may be added to a disclosedpeptide without affecting its biological function. In some embodiments,smaller molecules containing some portion of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK(CMS-010) comprise a single stretch of sequence derived fromVAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010). In other embodiments, smaller moleculescontaining some portion of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010) comprise two ormore stretches of sequence derived from separate, non-contiguousportions of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010). For example, in someembodiments, smaller molecules containing some portion ofVAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010) comprise sequence found near the N-terminusof VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010) as well as sequence found near theC-terminus of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010), without any interveningsequence found between the two sequences in VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK(CMS-010). In further embodiments, it may also be possible to add threeor four amino acids and still maintain the function of a peptideselected from the group consisting of fragments of CMS-010(VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein said fragments do not comprise thesequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof. These are allreferred to as variants of the same peptide. Furthermore, derivatives ofa peptide, such as conservative replacement of one amino acid foranother within the same functional class, may be used to practiceanother aspect of the present invention. For example, peptides havingnon-polar or hydrophobic side chains may be possible to substitute oneside group for another without reducing biological activity. In someembodiments, a peptide fragment of CMS-010 can have one, two or moreamino acids eliminated from the sequence while still retaining theactivity of the original peptide fragment. For example, a peptidefragment of CMS-010 that is ten amino acids in length is resynthesizedwithout the 5^(th) amino acid from the N-terminal end in the sequence.Thus the resulting variant is only 9 amino acids in length, has the4^(th) amino acid from the N-terminal end covalent linked to the 6^(th)amino acid from the N-terminal end in the original sequence and yetstill has the same activity as the original peptide fragment with tenamino acids. In some embodiments where two or more amino acids areeliminated from the sequence of a peptide fragment of CMS-010, the aminoacids that are eliminated are adjacent to one another in the originalpeptide fragment sequence. In other embodiments where two or more aminoacids are eliminated from the sequence of a peptide fragment of CMS-010,the amino acids are not adjacent to one another in the originalsequence, but rather are separated from one another in the originalsequence by amino acids that remain in the shortened, variant peptide.In additional embodiments where three or more amino acids are eliminatedfrom a peptide fragment of CMS-010, some amino acids eliminated from theoriginal peptide fragment sequence are adjacent to one another while oneor more amino acids eliminated from the original sequence are notadjacent to any other amino acids from the original sequence that wereeliminated. In additional embodiments of the invention, a linker/spacersequence may be inserted into the peptide to form variants, but thevariants still retain their active moiety as the original peptide usedin this study. These are also considered variants of the peptides. Apeptide analogue as used herein, includes peptides that have amino acidmolecules that mimic the structure of the natural amino acid, e.g. ananalog with a different backbone structure, or D-amino acidsubstitution. As a further example, although the amino acids used forsynthesizing the peptides are in their L optical isomeric form, peptideswith one or more of the amino acids in the sequence substituted with theD-form may have similar biological activities. The term “functionalderivative” as used in the claims is meant to include fragments,variants, analogues or chemical derivatives of the peptide.

“Substantially pure peptide” refers to peptides that are at least 10%w/w in purity, more preferably 20%, even more preferably 40% and muchmore preferably 60% and far more preferably larger than 90% pure. In themost preferred embodiment, the purity is larger than 99%. Thesubstantially pure peptide can be used to prepare pharmaceutical andnutritional formulations that may be complex mixtures as describedbelow.

“Modulation” refers to an effect on cells mediated by administration orexposure to peptides of the invention, wherein administration orexposure of peptides to cells causes changes in the activities of thecells. The changes may be to enhance or to suppress the activity of acell. The enhancement or suppression of the activity of a cell may bethe enhancement or suppression of the rate of cell division andreplication, the enhancement or suppression of the reaction of the cellto other elements, and/or the enhancement or suppression of the rate ofproduction and/or secretion of proteins or compounds from the cell.

“Cell proliferation” refers to an increase in the number of cellspresent and may be due to transformation or immortalization of a cell.Cell proliferation disorders include, but are not limited to, cancers,benign growths, tumors and sarcomas and may encompass any number ofcells. “Immunological disorders” refers to a malfunction or deleteriousfunction of an immune cell or other part of the immune system. Suchdisorders may be caused by the suppression of activity of a cell ormolecule or the enhancement of the activity of a cell or molecule.

The use of a peptide that comprises, consists essentially of or consistsof a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide doesnot comprise the sequence of CMS-010, and functional derivativesthereof, in pharmaceutical formulations may be employed as possibletreatment for immunological disorders or disease. The formulations mayhave a peptide that comprises, consists essentially of or consists of asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010, and functional derivatives thereof,mixed with other active or inactive constituents, including otherpeptides, e.g. two to several (e.g. 3-5) peptides may be added to thesame formulation with or without other ingredients. Alternatively, apeptide that comprises, consists essentially of or consists of asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010, and functional derivatives thereof,may be used to prepare the formulation together with peptides not listedhere. They can be administered in the form of intravenous,intramuscular, intracutaneous, subcutaneous or intradermal. The mode ofadministration may also be intra-arterial injection that leads directlyto the organ of problem. Other modes of administration are transdermal,inhalation as powder or spray, and other forms of delivery known by onein the art. The formulation may also be orally taken, and may containcarriers that can be used to prevent gastric digestion of the peptideafter oral intake or any other carriers known in the art (a carrier fortransdermal delivery, such as liposomes, for example).

As used herein, the term “hybrid peptide” is used to refer to peptidesthat contain additional peptides inserted into the original biologicallyactive peptide having the sequence specified above or its functionalderivatives, but still retain substantially similar activity. Theadditional peptides include leader peptides that contain, for example,an amino acid sequence that is recognized by one or more prokaryotic oreukaryotic cell as a signal for secretion of the hybrid protein into theexterior or the cell. The secretion may be a direct secretion, orindirectly through secretory vesicles.

As used herein, the terminology “consisting essentially of” refers to apeptide or polypeptide that comprises, consists essentially of orconsists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein saidpeptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010, and functionalderivatives thereof, along with additional amino acids at the carboxyland/or amino terminal ends and which maintains one or more of theactivities of said peptides provided herein. Thus, as a non-limitingexample, where the activity of a peptide that comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31,wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010, andfunctional derivatives thereof, is to treat and/or prevent cellproliferative or immunological disorders or diseases, a peptide orpolypeptide “consisting essentially of” the peptide that comprises,consists essentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ IDNo. 2-31, wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence ofCMS-010, and functional derivatives thereof, will possess the activityof treating and/or preventing disorders or diseases as provided hereinwith respect to that peptide and will not possess any characteristics inand of itself (i.e. before modification by attachment to one or morebiologically active molecules) which materially reduces the ability ofthe peptide or polypeptide to treat or prevent cell proliferative orimmunological disorders or which constitutes a material change to thebasic and novel characteristics of the peptide as a treatment for and/orpreventor of the above disorder or disease. Thus, in the foregoingexample, a full length naturally occurring polypeptide which has aprimary activity other than treating and/or preventing cellproliferative or immunological disorders and which comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31and functional derivatives thereof somewhere therein (but does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010) would not constitute a peptide orpolypeptide “consisting essentially of” the peptide that comprises,consists essentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ IDNo. 2-31 and functional derivatives thereof whose sequence is containedin the full length naturally occurring polypeptide. Likewise, in theforegoing example, a genetically engineered peptide or polypeptide whichhas a primary activity other than treating or preventing cellproliferative or immunological disorders but includes the amino acidsequence of a peptide that comprises, consists essentially of orconsists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 (but does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereofsomewhere therein would not constitute a peptide or polypeptide“consisting essentially of” the peptide that comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31(but does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof whose sequence is contained in the geneticallyengineered peptide or polypeptide.

Those skilled in the art can readily determine whether a peptide orpolypeptide consists essentially of a peptide that comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31,wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010, andfunctional derivatives thereof under the foregoing definitions bymeasuring the activity of the peptide or polypeptide using the assaysfor treating or preventing cell proliferative or immunologicaldisorders, which are provided herein with respect to fragments andderivatives of the VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010) peptide.

In the preferred embodiment, the terminology “consisting essentially of”may also refer to peptides or polypeptides which have less than 5 aminoacid residues in addition to a peptide that comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31,wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010, andfunctional derivatives thereof. In a more preferred embodiment, the sameterminology refers to peptides with 2 amino acid residues in addition toa peptide that comprises, consists essentially of or consists of asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010, and functional derivatives thereof. Inan even more preferred embodiment, the same terminology refers to apeptide with one amino acid residue in addition to a peptide thatcomprises, consists essentially of or consists of a sequence selectedfrom SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptide does not comprise thesequence of CMS-010, and functional derivatives thereof.

The pharmaceutical formulation may include any of the knownpharmaceutical carriers. Examples of suitable carriers include any ofthe standard pharmaceutically accepted carrier known to those skilled inthe art. These include but are not limited to, physiological salinesolution, water, emulsions including oil and water mixtures ortriglyceride emulsions, and other types of agents, fillers, coatedtablets and capsules. The appropriate carrier may be selected based onthe mode of administration of the pharmaceutical composition.

A peptide selected from the group that comprises, consists essentiallyof or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein saidpeptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010, and functionalderivatives thereof, may be administered via intravenous injection,intramuscular injection, intraperitoneal injection, subcutaneousinjection, and subcutaneous implantation. The peptide may also beadministered in any form of oral administration like tablet, capsule,suspension, solution etc, in the usual form without modification or inslow release form, or with or without gastro-enteric protection. Thepeptide may further be applied in any form of topic application likeointment, cream, gel, etc., with or without transdermal facilitatingdevice. The peptide may also be interpreted into its genetic sequenceand cloned into an expression system, on its own or in combination withother peptide sequences, to generate a resulting peptide molecule tomake use of the activity of the peptide as described herein.

The dose of each peptide may be 1 ng-10 g per kg body weight. Apreferred dose is 10 ng-10 mg per kg, and more preferably 1 μg-1 mg perkg for an injection mode of administration. However, the effective dosecan be as low as 1 ng per kg body weight, since one or more of thepeptides may operate through receptors that will induce a cascade ofnormal physiological response. Alternatively, one or more of thepeptides can just be an initiator for a whole cascade of reaction. Foran oral intake, the amount may be 1 ng-10 g per day per kg body weight,more preferably 0.1 μg-1 g per day per kg body weight and even morepreferably 1 μg-10 mg per day.

II. Gene Therapy and Method of Treatment

Gene therapy based on the above peptide sequences is performed bydesigning a nucleic acid sequence that codes for one of these peptides.The nucleic acid may be synthesized chemically and operably ligated to apromoter, and cloned into an expression vector. The expression vector isthen administered into the human body as the form of gene therapy forexpression in the human cell. The term “genetic vectors” as used hereinincludes these expression vectors. Vectors that can be used for genetherapy includes adeno-associated virus (Mizuno, M. et al. (1998). Jpn JCancer Res 89, 76-80), LNSX vectors (Miller, A. D. et al. (1993) MethodsEnzymol 217, 581-599) and lentivirus (Goldman, M. J. et al. (1997) HumGene Ther 8, 2261-2268).

Other vehicles for peptide delivery include expression vectors encodingthe desired peptide that can be transferred into an organism which canreplicate in the host organism to which it is desired to administer thepeptide without significant detrimental effects on the health of thehost organism. For example, the expression vectors may be transferredinto an organism that is not pathogenic to the host organism to which itis desired to administer the peptide. In some embodiments the expressionvector produces the desired peptide in a bacterial or fungal organismthat does not have significant detrimental effects on the health of thehost organism to which the peptide is to be administered. For example,the expression vector encoding the desired peptide may be an expressionvector that produces the desired peptide in an organism such as lacticacid bacteria, E. Coli, or yeast. In one embodiment, the expressionvector produces the desired peptide in a microbe normally found in themammalian gut or a microbe tolerated by the mammalian digestive tract.Some of the microbial species in which the desired peptide can beexpressed include, but are not limited to, Lactobacillus species, suchas L. acidophilus, L. amylovorus, L. casei, L. crispatus, L. gallinarum,L. gasseri, L. johnsonii, L. paracasei, L. plantarum, L. reuteri, L.rhamnosus or others; Bifidobacterium species, such as B. adolescentis,B. animalus, B. bifidum, B. breve, B. infantis, B. lactis, B. longum orothers; Enterococcus faecalis or Ent. facium; Sporolactobacillusinulinus; Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus cereus; Escherichia coli;Propionibacterium freudenreichii; or Saccharomyces cerevisiae orSaccharomyces boulardii.

Nucleic acid sequences that encode any of the peptides of the presentinvention, chemically synthesized or produced by other means, includingbut not limited to the reverse transcription of mRNA to produce cDNAmolecules, are incorporated into expression vectors for gene transferinto the desired organisms by methods of genetic engineering familiar tothose of skill in the art. The expression vectors may be DNA vectors orRNA vectors. For example, the expression vectors may be based on plasmidor viral genetic elements. The expression vectors may be vectors thatreplicate extra-chromosomally or vectors that integrate into thechromosome.

The expression vectors comprise a promoter operably linked to a nucleicacid encoding a peptide of the present invention. The promoter may be aregulatable promoter, such as an inducible promoter, or a constitutivepromoter. In some embodiments, the promoter may be selected to provide adesired level of peptide expression. In addition, if desired, theexpression vectors may comprise other sequences to promote theproduction, presentation and/or secretion of peptides. In someembodiments a nucleic acid encoding a peptide of the present inventionis operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence which directs thesecretion of the peptide. For example, the nucleic acid encoding thepeptide of the present invention may be operably linked to a nucleicacid encoding a signal peptide.

In some embodiments, the expression vectors which are engineered toencode the peptides of the present invention may be expression vectorswhich are adapted for expressing the peptide of the present invention ina bacterial species that makes up the normal gut flora of mammals, suchas Lactobacillus species and Bacillus subtilis. Examples of suchexpression vectors can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,388, to Casas,and No. 5,728,571, to Bellini, respectively. These documents are herebyexpressly incorporated by reference in their entireties. It will beappreciated that any expression vector which facilitates the expressionof a peptide of the present invention in an organism that is notdetrimental to the health of the host organism to which the peptide isto be administered may be used.

In some embodiments, the expression vectors which are engineered toencode the peptides of the present invention may be expression vectorswhich are adapted for expressing the peptide of the present invention ina yeast species that is well tolerated by the mammalian gut, such asSaccharomyces cerevisiae; or, preferably, Saccharomyces boulardii, whichcan colonize the human gut and is used to treat certain forms ofdiarrhea. Yeast expression vectors can be used that constitutivelyexpress heterologous proteins and peptides, are highly stable, thus arewell transmitted to progeny cells during mitosis and meiosis and maycomprise coding sequence for a signal peptide or peptides that directhigh levels of recombinant protein secretion. An example of such a yeastvector is given in U.S. Pat. No. 6,391,585, to Jang et al., which ishereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The expression vectors encoding the peptides of the present inventionmay be introduced into the organism in which it is intended to expressthe peptides through techniques known in the art. These techniquesinclude traditional methods of transforming bacteria, yeast, or othermicrobes, through the use of chemically competent bacterial cells,electroporation or lithium acetate transformation (for yeast), forexample, as well as recent advances in the transformation of bacterialspecies recalcitrant to these procedures. In some embodiments, theexpression vectors are introduced into lactic acid bacteria known to berecalcitrant to transformation using the method disclosed by Leer et al.(WO 95/35389), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. The introduced sequences may be incorporatedinto microbial chromosomal DNA or may remain as extrachromosomal DNAelements.

This genetically engineered microbe containing the expression vector canthen be inoculated into the alimentary canal, vagina, trachea etc. toachieve sustained immuno-therapy. In some embodiments, the organismsexpressing the peptides of the present invention are ingested in aninactive form or, preferably, in live form. In the gut thesemicroorganisms produce said peptides, release them into the lumen bysecretion or by lysis of the microorganism or otherwise present thepeptides to the host, whereby the peptides produce their intended effectupon the host organism. In other embodiments, peptides are presented tothe host at the mucous membrane of the nasal passages, vagina or thesmall intestine.

Another method of the treatment is the use of liposomes as a means fordelivering the specific nucleic acid to the cells in the human body. Thenucleic acid (such as an expression vector containing a nucleic sequencethat encodes a peptide that comprises, consists essentially of orconsists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein saidpeptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010, and functionalderivatives thereof) is delivered in an environment that encouragescellular uptake and chromosomal incorporation as described in Gao, X.and Huang, L. (1995) Gene Ther 2, 710-722 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,207,456.Alternatively, the peptide itself can be encapsulated in the liposomeand delivered directly, using a method described in U.S. Pat. No.6,245,427. All the scientific publications and patents indicated aboveare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The nucleic acid sequences useful for the above-mentioned gene therapyand method of treatment include sequences that code for these peptidesand functional derivatives thereof. Any one of the numerous nucleic acidsequences may be used to code for these peptides and their derivativesbased on the degenerate codon system.

The following references are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

-   1. Principles of Pre-clinical Research of New Drugs, People's    Republic of China. 1993, 7:134-135Shuyun Xu, Rulian Bian, Xiu Chen.    Methodology of pharmacological experiment. People's Health    Publishing House. 1991, 1221-1234-   2. Principle of new drug research in pre-clinic issued by Ministry    of Health, People's Republic of China. 1993, 7:140-   3. Jinsheng He, Ruizhu Li, Tingyi Zong. The study on MTT reduction    method of testing NK cell activity. China Immunology Journal. 1996,    1(6): 356-358-   4. Qian Wang. Modern medical experiment method. People's Health    Publishing House. 1998, 482-483-   5. Principle of new drug research in pre-clinic issued by Ministry    of Health, People's Republic of China. 1993, 7: 141-   6. Principle of new drug research in pre-clinic issued by Ministry    of Health, People's Republic of China. 1993, 7: 132-133-   7. Principle of new drug research in pre-clinic issued by Ministry    of Health, People's Republic of China. 1993, 7: 128-129-   8. Yuanpei Zhang, Huaide Su. Pharmalogical experiment (second    edition). People's Health Publishing House. 1998, 137-138-   9. Jiatai Li, clinical pharmacology (second edition). People's    Health Publishing House. 1998, 1338-1339.

III. Peptide Conjugations to and Formulations with Peptides ThatComprise, Consist Essentially of or Consist of SEQ ID No. 2-31 (WhereinSaid Fragments do not Comprise the Sequence of CMS-010) and FunctionalDerivatives Thereof

The biologically active peptides of the present invention may beconjugated to other biologically effective or useful molecules toprovide an additional effect or use or to enhance their therapeuticeffectiveness. Many potential conjugating molecules, their biologicaleffects and the methods for conjugation of the molecules to peptides areknown in the art. For other candidate conjugation partners, chemicalreactions for conjugating the instant peptides thereto can be deduced byone skilled in the art without undue experimentation. Effectivemolecules are described below. Specific examples of how various peptidesaccording to the present invention may be conjugated to their effectivemolecules and the biological properties of the resulting conjugationproduct are described. It is understood that other peptides of theinstant invention may also be conjugated in similar reactions.

The peptide fragments that comprise, consist essentially of or consistof a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptidefragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010, and functionalderivatives thereof, can have distinct therapeutic effects on particularcells or tissue types. One important objective of conjugating moleculesto peptide drugs is the targeting of the peptide to a particularlocation or compartment within the body of an individual being treated.In this way, the peptide drug and its effects can be concentrated at thelocation of the cell or tissue type on which it has the intendedtherapeutic effect. This can augment the effect that a similar molaramount of the free, unconjugated peptide would have. Conversely, thedosage of a conjugated peptide drug that is targeted to its therapeuticactive site can be significantly lower than the dosage required to getthe same therapeutic effect from the free, unconjugated form of thedrug.

Another beneficial effect of targeting a peptide drug to the site whereits activity is most desired is the reduction of unwanted side effects.A peptide drug that is administered in order to effect a change in aparticular cell or tissue type can also act in other locations within anindividual, sometimes with detrimental results. By targeting the peptideto the desired location of activity via conjugation to a targetingmolecule, the concentration of peptide elsewhere in the individual andthe subsequent side effects can be reduced.

Peptides that comprise, consist essentially of or consist of a sequenceselected from SEQ ID No. 2-31, wherein said peptides do not comprise thesequence of CMS-010, and functional derivatives thereof, can beconjugated to a variety of molecules for targeting to differentlocations throughout the body of an individual. Any of the conjugationtechnologies described below for targeting a peptide to a desiredlocation, as well as other conjugation technologies familiar to thoseskilled in the art, may be employed with any of the peptides of thepresent invention. For example, the selective delivery of ananti-hepatitis B drug to liver cells has been demonstrated (Fiume etal., Ital J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 29(3):275, 1997, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety). In this study,researchers conjugated adenine arabinoside monophosphate (ara-AMP), aphosphorylated nucleoside analogue active against hepatitis B virus, tolactosaminated human albumin, a galactosyl-terminating macromolecule.Hepatocytes express a receptor protein that interacts with terminalgalactosyl residues with high affinity. Through binding to thisreceptor, the conjugated drug will be selectively taken up byhepatocytes. After absorption, the conjugated drug is delivered tolysosomes, where the bond between the two components of the conjugateddrug is cleaved, releasing ara-AMP in its active form. In the studycited above, the conjugated drug was as effective as free ara-AMP intreating patients with chronic hepatitis B infections, but did not causethe clinical side effects, such as neurotoxicity, that theadministration of free ara-AMP causes. Such an approach can be used withany of the peptides of the present invention.

In a related study to the one above, by the same research team (DiStefano et al., Biochem. Pharmacol., 61(4):459, 2001), an anti-cancerchemotherapeutic agent, 5-fluoro 2-deoxyuridine (FUdR), was conjugatedto lactosaminated poly-L-lysine in order to target the compound to theliver and treat liver micrometastases. The drug is selectively taken upby liver cells, which cleave the bond between FUdR and the targetingmolecule. A portion of the free FUdR will then exit the liver cells anda localized therapeutic concentration of the anti-cancer agent iscreated. This concentration is sufficient for pharmacological activityon the metastatic cells that have infiltrated the liver. Because thedrug is selectively concentrated in the liver, the dosage of theconjugated drug can be significantly less than the smallestpharmacologically active dosage of the free, unconjugated compound. Thisstrategy can be utilized with any of the peptides of the presentinvention. For instance, conjugation of lactosaminated poly-L-lysine toa peptide that comprises, consists essentially of or consists of asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 (wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereofcould significantly reduce the dosage necessary to treat or prevent acell proliferative disorder involving liver tissues.

The targeting of compounds to particular tissues or cell types withinthe body has been achieved for a number of different tissues or celltypes. For example, tumor cells often express abnormally high levels ofpeptide hormone receptors on their surfaces, such as bombesin,lutenizing hormone-releasing hormone, and somatostatin. In one study,the anti-cancer compound paclitaxel (taxol) has been selectivelytargeted to hormone-secreting tumor cells that express somatostatinreceptors at a high density by conjugating the drug with octreotide, ananalog of somatostatin. The ostreotide-conjugated taxol was just aseffective as free taxol but with reduced toxicity to normal cells (Huanget al., Chem. Biol., 7(7):453, 2000). Using the techniques of Huang etal. to conjugate peptides of the present invention to analogs of peptidehormone receptor agonists would create a treatment specificallytargeting cells expressing high levels of that particular peptidehormone receptor. This approach can be adapted to target cellsoverexpressing any number of peptide hormone receptors. In anotherexample of targeting a drug to a specific tissue type, poly (L-asparticacid) was used as a carrier molecule to target drug delivery to coloncells specifically (Leopold et al., J. Pharmacokinet. Biopharm.,23(4):397, 1995).

Beyond the specific targeting of a peptide drug to a particular cell ortissue type, conjugation of peptides comprising, consisting essentiallyof, or consisting sequences selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 (wherein saidsequences do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof to carrier molecules can provide other ways toenhance the delivery of peptide drugs, thereby augmenting or otherwiseimproving their therapeutic effects. Any of the conjugation technologiesdescribed below may be used with any of the peptides of the presentinvention, as with other technologies familiar to those skilled in theart. The effectiveness of any drug will be hampered if the compoundcannot be delivered to its target efficiently. A drug must betransported, actively or otherwise, to the site of its activity withoutsubstantial loss of activity due to metabolic processing or degradation.Peptide drugs are subject to the activity of peptidases and, as highlycharged molecules, can be refractory to transport across lipid cellmembranes and endothelial cell membranes, such as the blood-brainbarrier. Conjugation to other molecules provides a way to protectpeptides from degradation and to enhance the absorption of peptide drugsinto cells or anatomical compartments that would normally exclude thecompounds.

By allowing peptides access to locations within the body from which theywould normally be excluded, conjugation techniques can open up newroutes for administration of the drug. In Patel et al., BioconjugateChem., 8(3):434, 1997, the chemistry of which is detailed in Example 5below and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,researchers conjugated a peptide drug known to be a potent analgesic,the heptapeptide deltorphin, to an organic molecule that wasspecifically designed to allow the peptide to cross the blood-brainbarrier. This allows the drug to be administered intravenously insteadof by intracerebro ventricular injection.

The carrier molecule in Patel et al. was designed to specifically targetthose endothelial cells that comprise the blood-brain barrier inaddition to allowing the peptide to get across the barrier. Endothelialcell membranes throughout the body, including the blood brain barrier,are heterogeneous with regards to the sequence specificity andconcentration of membrane-bound endopeptidases that are displayed ontheir surfaces. The design of the molecule exploits this characteristicto enable targeting of the carrier molecule and its cargo. The moleculecontains three fatty acid chains whose free ends are capped with thedipeptide Arg-Pro, which will interact preferentially with theendopeptidases of the blood brain barrier. The transportation of thecharged peptide drug molecule is then enabled by the lipophilic fattyacid chains. Thus the dipeptide-capped triglyceride molecule permitsboth the targeting and the transport across the blood brain barrier.

Conjugation methods can also enhance the kinetics of a peptide drug'sactivity. Any of the conjugation technologies described below forenhancing the kinetics of a peptide's activity as well as otherconjugation technologies familiar to those skilled in the art may beemployed with a peptide that comprises, consists essentially of orconsists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 (wherein saidpeptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof. Patel et al. found that the conjugated form of theanalgesic peptide was not only able to enter the brain from thebloodstream, but had sustained action in comparison to the free peptideas well. The intravenously administered drug took longer to have atherapeutic effect, but the effect lasted longer and decreased moreslowly than the effect of the free peptide injected intracranially. Theresearchers found that the conjugated peptide molecule is remarkablystable in serum, yet had no effect when injected intracerebroventricularly, indicating that the carrier molecule is likely degradedand removed during its transport from the bloodstream to the brain. Theysuspect that the time required to transport the conjugate and degradethe carrier molecule is the cause of the altered kinetics. Regardless ofthe mechanics of the delay, in a clinical setting, the intravenousstability of the conjugated peptide molecule and the prolonged onset andactivity of the drug's effects would mean that it could be administeredless frequently. A less frequent and thus more convenient dosingschedule enhances the practical value of the drug as a treatment option.

As would be apparent to a person of skill in the art, the techniques andprocedures of Patel et al. are readily adaptable to the delivery of anypeptides that fall within a limited size range, including any of thepeptides of the present invention. For example, a peptide of the presentinvention that treats and/or prevents cell proliferative orimmunological disorders, such as a fragment of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK(CMS-010), could be conjugated to the same molecule used by Patel et al.In the treatment of an individual with an infection that affects thebrain, the conjugated molecule would allow fragments ofVAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010) access to the brain from the bloodstreamand allow fragments of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010) to exert theireffects on cells or tissues in the brain. Modifications to alter thetargeting of the carrier molecule would also be apparent to such aperson. The targeting feature of the carrier molecule is a function ofthe identity of the two amino acids that comprise the dipeptide mask atthe end of the fatty acid chains. The Arg-Pro dipeptide interactspreferentially with the set of membrane-bound endopeptidases found onthe surface of the blood brain barrier's endothelial membrane. Otherendothelial cells and membranes could potentially be targeted by otherdipeptide combinations.

Conjugation has also been used by researchers to create peptide drugsthat can be effectively absorbed through the digestive tract ortransdermally. Any of the conjugation technologies for enhancingabsorption described below, as well as other conjugation technologiesfamiliar to those skilled in the art, may be used to enhance theabsorption of a peptide that comprises, consists essentially of orconsists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 (wherein saidpeptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof. Kramer et al. describe a procedure for the couplingof peptide drugs to bile acids. The absorption rate for the conjugatedmolecule following oral delivery of the compound is significantlyenhanced as compared to the peptide alone (J. Biol. Chem., 269(14):10621, 1994). Toth et al. (J. Med. Chem., 42(19):4010, 1999) describethe conjugation of a peptide drug with anti-tumor properties tolipoamino acids (LAA) or liposaccharides (LS), in order to increase theabsorption rate and enhance the delivery of the anti-cancer peptide toits active site. In their study, a derivative of somatostatin that showsstrong anti-proliferative properties, but has impaired pharmokinetics,is conjugated to either LAA or LS. The resulting conjugate drug hasimproved absorption profiles across skin and gut epithelium andincreased resistance to degradation while still active against tumorcells. These techniques would be very useful in conjunction with any ofthe peptides of the present invention. By increasing the rate ofabsorption of the molecule across the intestinal epithelium, more of thepeptide can be delivered to the bloodstream and exert its effect on theindividual being treated.

Conjugation may also be used to provide sustained release of a peptidedrug. Any of the conjugation technologies for providing sustainedrelease, as well as other conjugation technologies familiar to thoseskilled in the art, may be used to provide sustained release of apeptide that comprises, consists essentially of or consists of asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 (wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof. Asseen above in the work of Patel et al., the sustained delivery of apeptide drug can be achieved with conjugation methods. Another exampleis the work of Kim et al. (Biomaterials, 23:2311, 2002), whererecombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) was conjugated topolyethylene glycol (PEG) before microencap sulation in biodegradablepoly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) micro spheres. Microencapsulationin PLGA has been used by several groups to deliver various growthfactors and morphogenic proteins (Meinel et al., J. Controlled Rel.,70:193, 2001). Through conjugation to PEG, rhEGF became resistant toforming water-insoluble aggregates and to adsorption to thewater-organic phase interface during micelle formation with PLGA ascompared to unconjugated, free rhEGF. The pharmokinetics of theformulation with the conjugated hormone were improved, showing longerlasting, steadier and overall greater drug activity than with the freehormone, which the researchers speculate is due to the enhanced physicalstability of the hormone conjugated to PEG. A similar strategy could beemployed to create sustained release formulations of any of the peptidesof the present invention. For example, as seen in Example 1 below,particular fragments and derivatives of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010)exhibit potent anti-proliferative and immuno-modulatory effects. Byconjugating PEG to this peptide and incorporating the conjugated druginto PLGA microspheres, the anti-proliferative and immuno-modulatoryeffects of fragments and derivatives of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010) canbe longer lasting and more stable, as the dosing of the drug, as it isbeing released from its PEG conjugate, is more even and ensures a moreconstant delivery of the peptide drug to the site of infection.

Prolonged release of a peptide drug can significantly enhance itsactivity. Any of the conjugation technologies for providing prolongedrelease of a peptide described below, as well as other conjugationtechnologies familiar to those skilled in the art, may be used toprovide prolonged release of a peptide that comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31(wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) andfunctional derivatives thereof. Oldham et al. (Int. J. Oncology, 16:125,2000) compares the anticancer agent paclitaxel against a new form of thedrug, paxlitaxel conjugated to poly(L-glutamic acid) (PG-TXL). PG-TXLappeared to have superior anti-tumor activity compared to freepaclitaxel, suggesting that the drug has superior pharmokineticproperties or maybe even a superior method of action. However,investigators found that PG-TXL exerted its effects by the samemechanism of action as the free drug, inducing cell cycle arrest bydisturbing the polymerization of microtubules subunits. Evidencesuggests that the superior anti-tumor activity of the conjugated drugarises from a continuous and steady release of the free drug from theconjugate, maintaining its therapeutic concentration for a longer periodas compared to administration of the free peptide. The addition ofpoly(L-glutamic acid) tail to a peptide of the invention withinfection-fighting properties could enhance those properties as well.

The enzymatic degradation of peptides may, in some cases, reduce theeffectiveness of the peptides as drugs. Any of the conjugationtechnologies for reducing enzymatic degradation of a peptide describedbelow, as well as other conjugation technologies familiar to thoseskilled in the art, may be used to reduce the enzymatic degradation of apeptide that comprises, consists essentially of or consists of asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 (wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof.Researchers have developed numerous approaches to protect peptides fromluminally secreted proteases in the gut as well as membrane-boundpeptidases. The latter are found on the surface of all mucosal tissues,the crossing of which is often the route of entry for peptide drugs.Bernkop-Schurch et al. (J. Drug Target., 7:55, 1999) report the creationof peptide drug formulations containing inhibitors of pepsin. Ananalogue of pepstatin was covalently attached to mucoadhesive polymers;this novel pepsin inhibitor was included in tablets containing insulin.After incubation under laboratory conditions simulating digestion, allof the insulin from control tablets was metabolised, whereas nearly 50%of the insulin from tablets containing the inhibitor was protected fromdegradation. In another study, the same group utilized proteaseinhibitors at dosages that would normally cause toxic side effects toinhibit degradation of biologically active peptides (Bernkop-Schnurch etal., Adv. Drug Del. Rev., 52:127, 2001). This approach utilizeschitosan, an aminopolysaccharide related to cellulose that is extractedfrom chitin, a major structural polysaccaride found in crustaceans andother organisms. By conjugating the protease inhibitors to chitosan andincluding this conjugated molecule in the formulation of the peptidedrug, significant inhibition of digestive tract proteases was seen,increasing the bioavailability of the peptide, without the side effectsthat would be expected with administration of free protease inhibitors.In the study, a variety of protease inhibitors alone and in combinationwere utilized for conjugation to the chitosan carrier. A chitosan-EDTAconjugate inhibited endogenous proteases as well, by binding mineralco-factors required by certain proteases for activity. As would bereadily apparent to one with skill in the art, a large number ofpossible combinations between carrier molecules and effector moietiescould be created to provide beneficial properties to peptideformulations, any of which could easily be adapted for use with apeptide of the present invention. By creating a formulation for oraldelivery of the peptide using protease inhibitors bound to chitosan,oral delivery of a peptide of the invention could be used in place ofintramuscular injections. This approach does not rule out using the moreabsorbable, conjugated version of a peptide that comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31(wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) andfunctional derivatives thereof (discussed in a paragraph above) in thisformulation, to create an even greater level of bioavailability for thispeptide and its derivatives.

In addition to being targeted to a location by another molecule,peptides themselves can serve as the molecule that targets. Any of theconjugation technologies for using a peptide to target a molecule to adesired location described below, as well as other conjugationtechnologies familiar to those skilled in the art, may be used with apeptide that comprises, consists essentially of or consists of asequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31 (wherein said peptide does notcomprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof.For example, researchers have taken the anticancer drugdifluoromethylornithine (DFMO) and conjugated it to a peptide fortargeting purposes. DFMO is a highly cytotoxic agent that is effectivein killing a variety of tumor cell types. However, since it is rapidlycleared from the body, its therapeutic value is limited. In this study,DFMO has been conjugated to a particular fragment of α melanotropin andan analogue of the fragment containing two amino acid substitutions thatwas shown to bind preferentially to the melanotropin receptors on ahuman melanoma cell line (Suli-Vargha et al., J. Pharm. Sci., 86:997,1997). To facilitate the liberation of DFMO from the peptide fragmentsby aminopeptidases, the drug was conjugated to the N-terminal ends ofthe peptides. The researchers found that the conjugated drugs are moreeffective at killing melanoma cells that the unconjugated drug alone.

The effects of the peptides of the present invention may be due in partto a targeting ability inherent in the peptides themselves. Forinstance, like the α melanotropin fragment, a particular peptide of theinvention may bind to a certain receptor found on the surface of adistinct type of cell. By using that peptide as a conjugant, a drugcould be targeted to the location of those cells within the body of anindividual being treated with the drug.

Peptides as conjugates can serve functions other than targeting. Any ofthe conjugation technologies for enhancing the therapeutic effectivenessof a peptide described below, as well as other conjugation technologiesfamiliar to those skilled in the art, may be used to enhance thetherapeutic effectiveness of a peptide that comprises, consistsessentially of or consists of a sequence selected from SEQ ID No. 2-31(wherein said peptide does not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) andfunctional derivatives thereof. Fitzpatrick et al. have improved upon aconjugated anticancer agent by using a peptide spacer between the twomolecules (Anticancer Drug Design, 10:1, 1995). Methotrexate had alreadybeen conjugated to human serum albumen (HSA) to increase its uptake byand activity against tumor cells. Once taken up by a cell, some of themethotrexate is liberated from the conjugate by enzymes in the lysosomeand can then exert its cytotoxic effects. By inserting a four amino acidlinker peptide between the methotrexate and the HSA that is easilydigested by lysosomal enzymes, the amount of active methotrexategenerated within cells from the conjugate molecule was increased. Thepeptides of the present invention may be exerting their effects throughspecific interaction with particular enzymes. By incorporating a peptideof the invention into a conjugated molecule as a linker segment betweena drug and its carrier molecule, or in addition to another linkersegment, the pharmacokinetics can be altered. This can create a pro-drugthat is more resistant or more susceptible to the activity of proteases,which subsequently decreases or increases the rate of drug moleculerelease from the conjugate. As seen in the examples of conjugatedchemotherapy agents above, altering that rate of drug molecule deliverycan greatly enhance the effectiveness of a drug.

The effects of a drug on a particular cell may be altered depending uponother factors such as the activation state of a cell or the presence ofother molecular signals near or within the cell. In some cases, in orderfor a drug to have an effect, another molecule or signal needs to bepresent. Damjancic et al. (Exp. Clin. Endocrin., 95:315, 1990) studiedthe effects of human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) on patients withdeficient endogenous glucocorticoid synthesis. The peptide was given topatients during a withdrawal of glucocorticoid therapy or duringsubsequent resumption of therapy using dexamethasone. Patients respondedto hANP with an increase in diuresis and sodium excretion only when thepeptide hormone was given during concomitant dexamethasone treatment.Treatment with hANP during withdrawal of glucocorticoid therapy had noeffect. The effect of concurrent steroid hormone administration can alsobe to enhance the activity of a peptide. In a report from Zhu et al.(Acta Pharm. Sinica, 28:166, 1993), the activity of the analgesicpeptide kyotorphin (KTP) was significantly enhanced by conjugation tohydrocortisone via a short linker segment, as compared to the action ofthe peptide alone. No effect was seen with the administration ofhydrocortisone alone.

The results of these studies illustrate the ability of steroid hormonesas conjugated molecules or as ingredients in formulations can allow orenhance the activity of biologically active peptides. Any of thepeptides of the present invention may also be modulated or activated byconjugation to or co-application of steroid hormones. The techniques ofZhu et al. can be readily adapted for conjugation of steroid moleculesto peptide of the present invention. FIGS. 1 through 5 also provideexemplary step-wise synthesis reactions for linking steroid hormones toany of the peptides of the present invention.

The examples presented above provide exemplary ways to augment theusefulness and the activities of any of the peptides of the invention.Further developments in this field will help overcome the barriers tocreating effective peptide-based clinical treatments. As would beapparent to one with skill in the art, the techniques, reagents andprotocols developed for use in peptide biochemistry, pharmaceuticalresearch and clinical testing are all readily applicable to any of thepeptides of the present invention.

EXAMPLES Background

It was anticipated that within the sequence of VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK(CMS-010), some amino acids can be more important for the bioactivitythan the others. In some embodiments of the invention, by finding outthe active moiety/moieties within VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK (CMS-010), thoseamino acids in the sequence that do not contribute to the peptide'sactivity can be removed so that the bioactive molecule can be madeshorter. Recombinations of different active moieties of the peptide canalso be done to obtain new peptide molecules having modifiedbioactivities. The shortening of the bioactive peptide molecule can haveboth biological and economic significance. By having shorter sequence,the biological properties of the peptide are modified and suchmodifications may have potential therapeutic advantages, such asmodified biological half-life, receptor affinity, or side effectprofile. Shorter peptides are also cheaper to produce and can lower theproduction cost.

In order to determine the active moieties within VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK(CMS-010), we performed a series of truncation experiments. CMS-010 wastruncated at each of the peptide bonds from the amino end to thecarboxyl end. We anticipate that if an active moiety were truncated, thebioactivity of the resultant pair of peptides would decrease, disappearor be modified in some fashion (activation/inactivation of thebioactivity). After locating the active moiety/moieties within CMS-010,a new set of peptides can be constructed by combinations of thedifferent active moieties.

A set of truncated or recombinant peptides was identified in ourexperiments as having bioactivities that have potential therapeutichuman or biological use. This set of peptides is given in Table 1 below.Our findings are reported in the examples that follow Table 1.

TABLE 1 Truncated and recombinant peptides based on the sequence ofCMS-010 Peptide Sequence SEQ ID No. CMS-010.02 APEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK 2CMS-010.03 VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNP 3 CMS-010.04 PEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK 4 CMS-010.05VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLN 5 CMS-010.07 VAPEEHPTLLTEAPL 6 CMS-010.08VAPEEHPTLLTEAP 7 CMS-010.09 EHPTLLTEAPLNPK 8 CMS-010.11 HPTLLTEAPLNPK 9CMS-010.12 VAPEEHPTLLTE 10 CMS-010.13 PTLLTEAPLNPK 11 CMS-010.14VAPEEHPTLLT 12 CMS-010.15 TLLTEAPLNPK 13 CMS-010.16 VAPEEHPTLL 14CMS-010.17 LLTEAPLNPK 15 CMS-010.18 VAPEEHPTL 16 CMS-010.19 LTEAPLNPK 17CMS-010.20 VAPEEHPT 18 CMS-010.21 TEAPLNPK 19 CMS-010.22 VAPEEHP 20CMS-010.23 EAPLNPK 21 CMS-010.24 APLNPK 22 CMS-010.25 VAPEEH 23CMS-010.26 PLNPK 24 CMS-010.27 VAPEE 25 CMS-010.28 LNPK 26 CMS-010.29VAPE 27 CMS-010.31 NPK 28 CMS-010.32 VA 29 CMS-010.103 VALLT 30CMS-010.105 VANPK 31

Example 1 The Effect of Peptides on Mice T-Lymphocyte TransformationInduced by ConA In Vitro 1.1 Materials 1.1.1 Peptides

All amino acids involved were of L form: CS Bio Co., USA

1.1.2 Control and Other Regents

Saline: OTSUKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, PR China. RPMI-1640 culturemedium and fetal bovine serum (FBS): Gibcol Co., USA. MTT and ConA:Sigma Co., USA

1.2 Animals

BALB/c mice (H-2^(d), SPF, 6-8 weeks old, weight 18-22 g): MilitaryMedical Academy of Science, PR China.

1.3 Method^([1])

The spleens from healthy mice were isolated aseptically and manuallydispersed in 10% FBS RPMI-1640 solution using an injection needle. Thedispersed cell suspension was further sieved through a 100-gauge 150 μmdiameter stainless steel sieve. The spleen cell suspension was adjustedto a density of 4×10⁶/ml and was aliquoted onto 96-well cell cultureplates at 100 μl/well. Peptides were dissolved in plain RPMI-1640. Thedesign of the groupings was as given below.

Peptide group: 100 μl working peptide solution+75 μl spleen cellsuspension+25 μl ConA working solution.ConA control group: 100 μl RPMI-1640+75 μl spleen cell suspension+25 μlConA working solution.Negative control group: 125 μl RPMI-1640+75 μl spleen cell suspension.

The final concentration of ConA in the well was 5 μg/ml. The finalconcentrations of peptides in the well were 80 μg/ml, 16 μg/ml, 3.2μg/ml, 0.64 μg/ml, and 0.128 μg/ml. Each peptide group contained threeparallel wells, and eight or twelve wells for the control groups. Thecells were incubated for 68 hrs at 37° C., 5% CO₂. MTT method was usedto obtain a reading of OD₅₇₀ nm of each well referenced at 630 nm on anELISA reader.

1.4 Results

TABLE 2 The effect of peptides on mice T-lymphocyte transformationinduced by ConA in vitro. Con- Group centration N OD CMS-010.26 80 μg/ml3 0.353 ± 0.016* CMS-010.26 16 μg/ml 3 0.356 ± 0.006* CMS-010.26 3.2μg/ml 3 0.332 ± 0.015* CMS-010.26 0.64 μg/ml 3 0.348 ± 0.025* CMS-010.260.128 μg/ml 3 0.354 ± 0.017* CMS-010.105 80 μg/ml 3 0.407 ± 0.019*CMS-010.105 0.64 μg/ml 3 0.386 ± 0.008* Negative — 12 0.134 ± 0.011*control ConA 5 μg/ml 12 0.467 ± 0.043 control *compared to the ConApositive control group, P < 0.05

TABLE 3 The effect of peptides on mice T-lymphocyte transformationinduced by ConA in vitro Con- Group centration N OD CMS 010.32 80 μg/ml3 0.276 ± 0.034* CMS-010.32 16 μg/ml 3 0.273 ± 0.023* CMS-010.32 3.2μg/ml 3 0.309 ± 0.030* CMS-010.32 0.64 μg/ml 3 0.321 ± 0.048 CMS-010.320.128 μg/ml 3 0.306 ± 0.033* Negative 5 μg/ml 8 0.108 ± 0.012* controlConA — 8 0.358 ± 0.028 control *Compared to the ConA positive controlgroup, P < 0.05

1.5 Conclusion

CMS-010.26, CMS-010.32 and CMS-010.105, at suitable concentrations, werefound to be able to suppress mice T-lymphocyte transformation induced byConA in vitro, with statistical significance compared with the ConApositive control (P<0.05).

Example 2 The Effect of Peptides on Mice T-Lymphocyte Transformation andNK Cell Activity In Vivo 2.1 Materials 2.1.1 Peptides

All amino acids involved were of L form: CS Bio Co., USA.

2.1.2 Controls and Other Regents

Cyclosporine A: Novartis Pharma AG., Switzerland. Saline: OTSUKAPharmaceutical Co. Ltd, PR China. RPMI-1640 culture medium and fetalbovine serum (FBS): GIBCOL, USA. MTT and ConA: Sigma Co., USA

2.1.3 Animals

BALB/c mice (H-2^(d), SPF, 6-8 weeks old, weight 18-22 g, 50% female and50% male): Military Medical Academy of Science, PR China.

2.2 Method 2.2.1 Grouping of Animals and Administration

Animals were randomized into two peptide groups (200 μg/kg/day and 50μg/kg/day), Cyclosporine A group (10 mg/kg/day), and saline group (0.5ml/day). Each group contained 10 mice, in which half were female andhalf were male. All test substances were dissolved in 0.5 ml saline andadministered intraperitoneally once per day for 20 days. T-lymphocytetransformation and NK cell activity were examined on the day immediatelyfollowing the last injection.

2.2.2 T-Lymphocyte Transformation^([1-2])

The day after the last test substance administration, the mice weresacrificed by cervical dislocation. The spleens were isolatedaseptically and manually dispersed in 10% FBS RPMI-1640 solution usingan injection needle. The dispersed cell suspension was further sievedthrough a 100 gauge 150 μm diameter stainless steel sieve and adjustedto 4×10⁶/ml. The cell suspensions were inoculated onto a 96 wells cellculture plate, 100 μl/well with the following design.

Assay wells: 100 μl cell suspension+100 μl ConAControl wells: 100 μl cell suspension+100 μl RPMI-1640

Four assay and four control wells were set up for each animal. Theplates were incubated at 37° C., 5% CO₂ for 68 hours. MTT was then addedand the plates read at OD 570 nm referenced at 630 nm with ELISA reader.Stimulation Index SI (%)=(assay well OD/control well OD)×100%.

2.2.3 The Effect of Peptides on NK Cell Activity^([3-5].)

YAC-1 target cells were brought to log phase and adjusted to a densityof 1×10⁵/ml. Mice spleen cells prepared in section 2.2.2 above wereadjusted to a density of 4×10⁶/ml and used as effector cells. The cellsuspensions were inoculated onto 96 wells cell culture plates asfollows:

Effector cell wells: 100 μl spleen cell suspension+100 μl RPMI-1640Assay wells: 100 μl spleen cell suspension+100 μl YAC-1 cell suspensionTarget cell wells: 100 μl YAC-1 cell suspension+100 μl RPMI-1640

Three assay wells and three effector cell wells were set up for eachanimal, and 12 target cell wells were set up per cell culture plate. Theplates were incubated at 37° C., 5% CO₂ for 4 hours, then MTT was addedand the plates were read at OD 570 nm referenced at 630 nm with ELISAreader. NK cell activity (%)=1-[(assay wells OD−effector cell wellsOD)/target cell wells OD]×100%

2.3 Results 2.3.1 Experiment of T-Lymphocyte Transformation

TABLE 4 The effect of peptides on mice T-lymphocyte transformation⁽¹⁾Group Dosage N SI CMS-010.24 50 μg/kg/day 10 2.40 ± 0.31** CMS-010.26200 μg/kg/day 7 2.19 ± 0.59** CMS-010.28 200 μg/kg/day 9 2.70 ± 0.37**Saline 0.5 ml/day 8 3.63 ± 0.69 **Compared to saline group, P < 0.01

TABLE 5 The effect of peptides on mice T-lymphocyte transformation (2)Group Dosage N SI CMS-010.25 200 μg/kg/day 10 2.43 ± 0.69* Saline 0.5ml/day 10 3.15 ± 0.83 *Compared to saline group, P < 0.05

TABLE 6 The effect of peptides on mice T-lymphocyte transformation (3)Group Dosage N SI CMS-010.04 50 μg/kg/day 8 1.56 ± 0.25** Saline 0.5ml/day 9 2.24 ± 0.52 **Compared to saline group, P < 0.01

TABLE 7 The effect of peptides on mice T-lymphocyte transformation (4)Group Dosage N SI CMS-010.12 50 μg/kg/d 10 2.12 ± 0.42** CMS-010.14 50μg/kg/d 9 2.12 ± 0.51** Saline 0.5 ml/day 10 2.96 ± 0.61 **Compared tosaline group, P < 0.01

2.3.2 Experiment of NK Cell Activity

TABLE 8 The effect of peptides on mice NK cell activity⁽¹⁾ Group DosageN NK cell activity (%) CMS-010.24 200 μg/kg/day 10 69.0 ± 7.4*CMS-010.24 50 μg/kg/day 10 56.0 ± 6.0** CMS-010.26 200 μg/kg/day 9 67.7± 5.3** CMS-010.26 50 μg/kg/day 10 68.5 ± 7.2* CMS-010.28 200 μg/kg/day9 70.3 ± 6.7* Saline 0.5 ml/day 10 76.0 ± 4.3 *Compared to saline group,P < 0.05 **Compared to saline group, P < 0.01

TABLE 9 The effect of peptides on mice NK cell activity⁽²⁾ Group DosageN NK cell activity (%) CMS-010.11 50 μg/kg/day 9 63.5 ± 4.7** CMS-010.1350 μg/kg/day 10 70.9 ± 17.5* CMS-010.14 200 μg/kg/day 8 43.1 ± 13.7*CMS-010.14 50 μg/kg/day 9 75.3 ± 9.0** Saline 0.5 ml/day 10 55.3 ± 6.1*Compared to saline group, P < 0.05 **Compared to saline group, P < 0.01

2.4 Conclusion

At suitable dosages, CMS-010.04, CMS-010.12, CMS-010.14, CMS-010.24,CMS-010.25, CMS-010.26, and CMS-010.28 were found to suppress miceT-lymphocyte transformation in vivo, with statistical significancecompared with the saline control (P<0.05).

At suitable dosage, CMS-010.24, CMS-010.26, and CMS-010.28 were found tosuppress mice NK cell activity in vivo, with statistical significancecompared with the saline control (P<0.05).

At suitable dosage, CMS-010.11, CMS-010.13, and CMS-010.14 were found toenhance mice NK cell activity in vivo, with statistical significancecompared with the saline control (P<0.05).

Example 3 The Effect of Peptide on Mice Antibody Formation In Vivo 3.1Materials 3.1.1 Peptide

All amino acids involved were of L form: CS Bio Co., USA.

3.1.2 Controls and Other Reagents

Cyclosporine A: Novartis Pharma AG., Switzerland. Saline: OTSUKAPharmaceutical Co. Ltd., PR China

3.1.3 Animals

BALB/c mice (H-2^(d), SPF, 6-8 weeks old, weight 18-22 g, 50% female and50% male): Military Medical Academy of Science, PR China.

3.2 Method 3.2.1 Grouping of Animals and Test Substance Administration

The mice were randomized into three groups: peptide (200 μg/kg/day),Cyclosporine A (10 mg/kg/day), and saline (0.5 ml). Each group contained12 mice, 6 female and 6 male. The test substances were dissolved in 0.5ml saline and applied intraperitoneally once per day for 20 consecutivedays.

3.2.2 Antibody Raising and Quantification^([7])

Sheep red blood cells (SRBC) were resuspended with saline to 2% (v/v)and 0.2 ml of the resuspended cell solution was appliedintraperitoneally to each mouse on day 16th of the test substanceadministration. On the day after the last test substance administration,blood was collected from the inner canthus and left at room temperaturefor one hour for serum exudation. After centrifugation at 200 g for 10minutes, the serum was diluted by 200 times with normal saline.

For the preparation of the complement working solution, 10 volumes offresh Cavy serum was added into one volume of centrifuge-packed SRBC.This mixture was gently shaken for 30 minutes at 4° C. The SRBC werethen removed by centrifugation at 200 g for 10 minutes. Ten volumes ofnormal saline were added to the supernatant to obtain the workingcomplement solution.

For assay of the mice antibody titer, 0.2 ml of 1% SRBC suspension wasadded to 1 ml diluted ice-cold mouse serum from each mouse. One mlworking complement solution was then added and the mixture incubated at37° C. for 20 minutes. The reaction was terminated by chilling eachsample on ice for 10 minutes. The samples were then centrifuged at 200 gfor 10 minutes to obtain the supernatant. To 1 ml of this supernatant, 3ml Drabkin solution was added and left at room temperature for 10minutes, and then the OD_(540 nm) was measured. The reference lysis-50reading at OD_(540 nm) was determined by following the exact procedureas the sample, except replacing half of the SRBC with saline and withoutthe centrifugation removal of the unlysed SRBC. Sample serum index(HC₅₀)=OD_(540 nm) of sample/lysis-50 OD_(540 nm)×200

3.3 Results

TABLE 10 The effect of peptide on mice antibody formation Group Dosage NHC₅₀ CMS-010.26 200 μg/kg/day 10 141.3 ± 29.3* Cyclosporine A 10 mg/kg/d12 148.9 ± 21.7* Saline 0.5 ml/d 11 167.6 ± 21.5 *Compared to salinegroup, P < 0.05

3.4 Conclusion

CMS 010.26 at suitable dosage was found to suppress mice antibodyformation in vivo, with statistical significance compared with thesaline control group (P<0.05).

Example 4

The Effect of Peptides on the Growth Rate of KM Mice-Transplanted S180Sarcoma Cells In Vivo

4.1 Materials 4.1.1 Peptides

All amino acids involved were of L form: CS Bio Co., USA.

4.1.2 Controls and Other Reagents

Saline: OTSUKA Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., PR China. Adriamycin: ZhejiangHaizheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., PR China

4.1.3 Animals

Healthy female KM mice (SPF, 6-8 weeks old, weight 18-22 g): MilitaryMedical Academy of Science, PR China

4.2 Method 4.2.1 Grouping of Animals, Test Substance Administration andTumor Cell Implanting^([8])

S₁₈₀ sarcoma cells were transplanted intraperitoneally into KM mice for6-8 days and the ascites aseptically collected. The cell concentrationwas adjusted to 1×10⁷ per ml with 10% FBS RPMI-1640, and 0.2 ml cellsuspension was injected through the armpit into each KM mice fordeveloping the sarcoma bearing mice model. The S₁₈₀ sarcoma cellstransplanted mice were randomized into five groups: peptide (two groups:50 μg/kg/day and 10 μg/kg/day), Adriamycin (2 mg/kg/day),Cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg/day), and saline (0.5 ml/day).Intraperitoneal injection of test substances started on the dayimmediately after tumor transplantation and continued once per day for20 consecutive days.

4.2.2 Sarcoma Development Determination

On the day after the last test substance administration, the sarcomaswere removed from the mice and weighed. The diameters of each sarcoma onthe three planes (A, B, C) were measured by a vernier caliper. Thevolume of the sarcoma was calculated by the formula: V=(⅙)πABC. Thetumor growth inhibition index was calculated by the formula:

Tumor growth inhibition index=(tumor weight of control group−tumorweight of treatment group)/tumor weight of control group×100%

4.3 Results

TABLE 11 The effect of peptides on the development of mice-transplantedS₁₈₀ sarcoma cells vivo⁽¹⁾ Group Dosage N Sarcoma weight CMS-010.31 50μg/kg/day 17 1.20 ± 1.60* CMS-010.31 10 μg/kg/day 14 1.05 ± 1.28*CMS-010.103 50 μg/kg/day 15 1.48 ± 1.44* CMS-010.103 10 μg/kg/day 151.72 ± 1.53* Adriamycin 2 mg/kg/day 17 1.52 ± 1.75* Saline 0.5 ml/day 125.07 ± 5.46 *Compared to normal saline group, P < 0.05

TABLE 12 The effect of peptides on the development of mice-transplantedS₁₈₀ sarcoma cells in vivo⁽²⁾ Sarcoma Sarcoma Group Dosage N weightvolume CMS-010.02 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.97 ± 0.85* 0.65 ± 0.67* CMS-010.02250 μg/kg/day 10 0.68 ± 0.72* 0.36 ± 0.40* CMS-010.03 500 μg/kg/day 100.33 ± 0.35*^(@) 0.27 ± 0.33*^(@) CMS-010.03 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.68 ±0.46* 0.31 ± 0.22* CMS-010.04 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.62 ± 0.44* 0.40 ± 0.28*CMS-010.04 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.27 ± 0.19*^(@) 0.17 ± 0.12*^(@) CMS-010.05500 μg/kg/day 10 0.47 ± 0.29*^(@) 0.34 ± 0.22* CMS-010.05 250 μg/kg/day10 0.56 ± 0.33* 0.23 ± 0.19*^(@) CMS-010.07 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.52 ±0.25* 0.37 ± 0.20* CMS-010.07 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.32 ± 0.14*^(@) 0.24 ±0.13*^(@) CMS-010.08 500 μg/kg/day 10 1.05 ± 0.64* 1.01 ± 0.63CMS-010.08 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.38 ± 0.27*^(@) 0.20 ± 0.14*^(@) CMS-010.09500 μg/kg/day 10 0.85 ± 0.70* 0.84 ± 0.84 CMS-010.09 250 μg/kg/day 100.45 ± 0.38*^(@) 0.37 ± 0.44* CMS-010.11 500 μg/kg/day 10 1.14 ± 0.74*0.95 ± 0.54 CMS-010.11 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.64 ± 0.31* 0.63 ± 0.40*CMS-010.13 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.73 ± 0.43* 0.38 ± 0.23* CMS-010.13 250μg/kg/day 10 0.92 ± 0.56* 0.91 ± 0.59 CMS-010.14 500 μg/kg/day 9 0.67 ±0.70* 0.56 ± 0.53* CMS-010.14 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.44 ± 0.30*^(@) 0.29 ±0.21* CMS-010.15 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.68 ± 0.36* 0.63 ± 0.35* CMS-010.15250 μg/kg/day 9 0.45 ± 0.35*^(@) 0.41 ± 0.37 CMS-010.16 500 μg/kg/day 100.99 ± 0.42* 0.92 ± 0.36 CMS-010.16 250 μg/kg/day 9 0.63 ± 0.47* 0.61 ±0.44* CMS-010.17 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.91 ± 0.46* 0.55 ± 0.34* CMS-010.17250 μg/kg/day 9 0.65 ± 0.41* 0.40 ± 0.24* CMS-010.18 500 μg/kg/day 90.59 ± 0.48* 0.58 ± 0.42* CMS-010.18 250 μg/kg/day 9 0.44 ± 0.31*^(@)0.27 ± 0.20*^(@) CMS-010.19 500 μg/kg/day 9 0.68 ± 0.68* 0.40 ± 0.42*CMS-010.19 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.41 ± 0.45*^(@) 0.46 ± 0.58* CMS-010.20 500μg/kg/day 10 0.59 ± 0.46* 0.54 ± 0.51* CMS-010.20 250 μg/kg/day 9 1.00 ±0.76* 0.88 ± 0.77 CMS-010.21 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.44 ± 0.22*^(@) 0.44 ±0.21* CMS-010.21 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.51 ± 0.29* 0.44 ± 0.22* CMS-010.22500 μg/kg/day 10 0.85 ± 0.73* 0.73 ± 0.87 CMS-010.22 250 μg/kg/day 100.28 ± 0.12*^(@) 0.24 ± 0.08*^(@) CMS-010.23 250 μg/kg/day 9 0.27 ±0.18^(@) 0.21 ± 0.15*^(@) CMS-010.24 500 μg/kg/day 10 1.20 ± 0.79* 0.62± 0.47* CMS-010.24 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.61 ± 0.39* 0.36 ± 0.30* CMS-010.25500 μg/kg/day 10 0.52 ± 0.38* 0.26 ± 0.21*^(@) CMS-010.25 250 μg/kg/day9 0.65 ± 0.53* 0.48 ± 0.37* CMS-010.27 500 μg/kg/day 9 1.05 ± 0.86* 0.51± 0.33* CMS-010.27 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.78 ± 0.68* 0.58 ± 0.58* CMS-010.29500 μg/kg/day 10 0.55 ± 0.41* 0.40 ± 0.11* CMS-010.29 250 μg/kg/day 101.24 ± 0.72* 1.02 ± 0.66 CMS-010.31 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.78 ± 0.89* 0.43 ±0.50* CMS-010.31 250 μg/kg/day 10 0.27 ± 0.19*^(@) 0.25 ± 0.20*^(@)CMS-010.32 500 μg/kg/day 10 0.41 ± 0.35*^(@) 0.40 ± 0.31* CMS-010.32 250μg/kg/day 10 0.38 ± 0.24*^(@) 0.25 ± 0.14*^(@) Cyclo- 40 mg/g/day 101.07 ± 0.80* 0.76 ± 0.66* phosphamide Saline 0.5 ml/day 10 1.87 ± 0.521.20 ± 0.28 *Compared to normal saline group, P < 0.05 ^(@)Compared toCyclophosphamide group, P < 0.05

4.4 Conclusion

CMS-010.103, CMS-010.02, CMS-010.03, CMS-010.04, CMS-010.05, CMS-010.07,CMS-010.08, CMS-010.09, CMS-010.11, CMS-010.13, CMS-010.14, CMS-010.15,CMS-010.16, CMS-010.17, CMS-010.18, CMS-010.19, CMS-010.20, CMS-010.21,CMS-010.22, CMS-010.23, CMS-010.24, CMS-010.25, CMS-010.27, CMS-010.29,CMS-010.31, and CMS-010.32, at suitable dosages, were found to suppressthe development of KM mice-transplanted S₁₈₀ sarcoma cells in vivo, withstatistical significance compared with the normal saline control group(P<0.05).

Example 5 The Effect of Peptides on Masugi Nephritis in Rabbits 5.1Materials 5.1.1 Peptides

All amino acids involved were of L form: CS Bio Co., USA.

5.1.2 Controls and Other Reagents

Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection: Tianjin Jinyao AminophenalLtd., PR China. Saline: OTSUKA Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., PR China. BCGvaccine: Beijing Institute of Biological Products, PR China. Lanolin:Tianjin sixth chemical product factory, PR China. Liquid paraffin:Tianjin sixth chemical product factory, PR China. Diagnostic Reagent forserum BUN: BECKMAN443350, USA. Diagnostic Reagent for serum Creatinine:BECKMAN 443340, USA.

5.1.3 Animals

One male sheep (8 months old): Department of Laboratory Animal, TianjinMedical University, PR China. Rabbits (MDA, male, 2-2.5 kg): BeijingFuhao Breed Farm, PR China.

5.2 Methods^([9-10]) 5.2.1 Preparation of Sheep Anti-Rabbit Renal CortexAntiserum 5.2.1.1 Preparation of Rabbit Renal Cortex Antigen

A healthy rabbit was anesthetized with 4 ml/kg 25% urethane by auricularvein intravenous injection, and intravenously injected with heparin at1250 U/kg for systemic heparinization. The rabbit abdomen was openedaseptically and the renal arteries and veins were exposed. The renalarteries were catheterized and the renal veins severed. The kidneys weredouched with saline until the renal tissue turned grey. The kidneys werethen extirpated. The renal cortex was isolated and homogenized in 0.5volumes of ice-cold saline, and then stored at −20° C.

5.2.1.2 Preparation of Sheep Antiserum

7.5 ml of the renal cortex homogenate was mixed with 2.5 ml of Freund'scomplete adjuvant (Lanolin to liquid paraffin in a ratio of 1:5, with 5mg/ml BCG vaccine). After complete emulsification, the antigen wasinjected into a sheep at five different dorsal locations, 1 ml perlocation, once every two weeks, for a total of three rounds ofinjections. Starting with the fourth immunization, 5 g renal cortex washomogenized with one volume of saline and intramuscularly injected into5 locations on the sheep, 1 ml per location, once every two weeks. Thesheep anti-rabbit renal cortex antibody titer was monitored by doubleimmunodiffusion on a bi-weekly basis. When the titer reached 1:32, thesheep antiserum was collected from the carotid artery. The sheepantiserum was mixed with an equal volume of rabbit red blood cells andplaced at 4° C. for 12 hours for the removal of anti-rabbit red bloodcell antibody. Then the antiserum was collected by centrifugation andplaced at 56° C. to inactivate complement and proteases. The antiserumwas stored at −20° C.

5.2.2 Grouping of Animals, Test Substance Administration, and MasugiNephritis Model Establishment

Twenty-two healthy rabbits were randomized into 5 groups: peptide (107.3μg/kg/day and 58.5 μg/kg/day, 4 rabbits per group), dexamethasone (0.1mg/kg/day, 4 rabbits), saline treatment (1 ml/day, 7 rabbits), andnormal healthy (3 rabbits). Before the establishment of a disease statein the rabbits, measurements of serum BUN, creatinine, and urine proteinover 24 hours were taken for each rabbit. If there was no abnormality inthese measurements, the Masugi nephritis model was established inexperimental rabbits by intravenous injection of sheep anti-rabbit renalcortex antiserum via the auricular vein, 0.5 ml per injection, oneinjection every 30 minutes, for a total of 4 injections per rabbit. Thenormal healthy (control) rabbit group was injected with saline in thesame manner. Intravenous administration of the test substances via theauricular vein was started on the day after the injection of theantiserum, once per day, 1 ml per injection, for 30 consecutive days.

5.2.3 Therapeutic Effect Monitoring 5.2.3.1 Quantification of UrineProtein

Urine was collected from each rabbit over a 24 hour period once per weekand the protein content determined by the sulfosalicylic acid method.

5.2.3.2 Pathological Examination

For observation of the effects of peptides on the clearance of sheepanti-rabbit renal cortex IgG antibody from Masugi nephritis rabbits, onthe day after the last test substance administration, the rabbits weresacrificed by suffocation and the right kidney was extirpated,freeze-edged and then immunofluorescently stained for the presence ofsheep IgG. The fluorescence-positive area of each glomerulus wascounted. Thirty glomeruli per rabbit were examined and the averagepositive area per glomerulus was calculated.

5.2.3.3 Statistics

Statistical significance was determined by the t-test of the SPSSsoftware.

5.3 Results

TABLE 13 Effect of peptide on proteinuria of Masugi nephritis rabbits(mg/dl) Dosage/ Group day N Week 0 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4CMS-010.26 107.3 μg/kg 4 9.84 ± 4.29 187 ± 184 114 ± 145  26 ± 24*  28 ±32* CMS-010.26 58.5 μg/kg 4 9.53 ± 4.64 77 ± 62 150 ± 123  20 ± 12*  36± 16* Dexamethasone 0.1 mg/kg 4 9.48 ± 8.46 29 ± 12 13.6 ± 6.3* 13.7 ±3.1* 25 ± 19 Saline treatment 0.5 ml 7 11.72 ± 3.18  122 ± 91  160 ± 138145 ± 33  157 ± 71  Normal healthy — 3 23.43 ± 18.42  7.7 ± 2.0* —  6.9± 4.5* 24 ± 7* *Compared to saline treatment group, P < 0.05

TABLE 14 Effect of peptide on the clearance of sheep anti-rabbit renalcortex IgG antibody from the Masugi nephritis rabbits Dosage/ Positivearea count/ Group day N glomerulus CMS-010.26 107.3 μg/kg 5 5.6 ± 1.2*CMS-010.26 58.5 μg/kg 4 6.3 ± 1.4* Dexamethasone 0.1 mg/kg 4 7.5 ± 1.0Saline treatment 0.5 ml 7 8.7 ± 0.9 Normal healthy — 3 — **Compared tosaline treatment group, P < 0.01

5.4 Conclusion

CMS-010.26 was found to be able to decrease the severity of proteinuriaand promote the clearance of sheep anti-rabbit renal cortex antibody inMasugi nephritis rabbits in vivo, with statistical significance comparedwith the saline treatment control group, P<0.05.

Example 6 The Effect of Peptides on Heymann Nephritis Rats In Vivo 6.1Materials 6.1.1 Peptide

All amino acids used were of L form: CS Bio Co., USA.

6.1.2 Controls and Other Reagents

Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection: Tianjin Jinyao AminophenalLtd., PR China. Saline: OTSUKA Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., PR China. BCGvaccine: Beijing Institute of Biological Products. Lanolin: Tianjinsixth factory of chemical product, PR China. Liquid paraffin: Tianjinsixth factory of chemical product, PR China. Diagnostic reagent forserum BUN: BECKMAN 443350, USA. Diagnostic reagent for serum creatinine:BECKMAN 443340, USA.

6.1.3 Animals

Wistar rats (SPF, 6-8 weeks old, weight 150-200 g): Beijing Vital RiverLaboratory Animal Co., Ltd., PR China.

6.2 Methods^([11-12]) 6.2.1 Preparation of Rat Renal Homogenate

Healthy Wister rat abdomens were opened aseptically. The portal vein andinferior vena cava were exposed. The portal vein was catheterized andthe inferior vena cava severed. The kidneys were douched by saline untilthe renal tissue turned gray. The kidneys were extirpated and the renalcortex isolated. The renal cortex was then homogenized on ice and stored−20° C.

6.2.2 Preparation of Rat Renal Cortex Antigen

Lanolin was mixed with liquid paraffin in a 1:2 v/v ratio, heated to 70°C. with shaking, and then autoclaved. Sufficient BCG vaccine was addedto the lanolin/paraffin mixture to produce a vaccine concentration of 3mg/ml to form Freund's complete adjuvant. The renal cortex homogenate,Freund's complete adjuvant, and saline were mixed in a 1:1:2 ratio withmortaring until completely emulsified.

6.2.3 Grouping of Animals and Model Establishment

20 healthy Wistar rats were randomized into two groups: peptide (200μg/kg/day) and saline treatment (2 ml/day). Two ml of antigen wereintraperitoneally injected to each rat, once every two weeks, for atotal of 5 rounds of injection. Test substance administration byintraperitoneal injection was started on the day after the thirdimmunization, once per day until the end of the experiment.

6.2.4 Efficacy Monitoring 6.2.4.1 Quantification of Urine Protein

Quantification of uriner protein began at the third week of modelestablishment. A urine sample was collected from each rat over a 24 hourperiod once every two and the urine protein content quantified by thesulfosalicylic acid method.

6.2.5 Statistics

Sample values were compared by t-test using SPSS software.

6.3 Results

TABLE 15 Effect of peptide administration on 24 hr. urine proteinconcentration (mg/dl) of rats with Heymann nephritis Group N Week 3 Week5 Week 7 Week 9 CMS-010.26 10 6.2 ± 2.3 3.1 ± 1.4  3.9 ± 1.6*  3.8 ±2.2* Saline 10 4.1 ± 1.3 3.1 ± 0.8 10.9 ± 2.8  12.61 ± 1.2  treatment*Compared to saline group, P < 0.05

6.4 Conclusion

At suitable dosage, CMS-010.26 was found to decrease the severity ofproteinuria in Heymann nephritis rats in vivo, with statisticalsignificance compared to the saline treatment group (P<0.05).

References for Examples 1-6

-   1. Shuyun Xu, Rulian Bian, Xiu Chen. Methodology of pharmacological    experiment. People's Health Publishing House. 2002, 1:1426-1428-   2. Principles of Pre-clinical Research of New Drugs, People's    Republic of China. 1993, 7:134-135-   3. Shuyun Xu, Rulian Bian, Xiu Chen. Methodology of pharmacological    experiment. People's Health Publishing House. 2002, 1:1429-   4. Jinsheng He, Ruizhu Li, Tingyi Zong. The study on MTT reduction    method of testing NK cell activity. China Immunology Journal. 1996,    1(6): 356-358-   5. Principles of Pre-clinical Research of New Drugs, People's    Republic of China. 1993, 7:128-129-   6. Yuanpei Zhang, Huaide Su. Pharmacological experiment (second    edition). People's Health Publishing House. 1998, 137-138-   7. Shuyun Xu, Rulian Bian, Xiu Chen. Methodology of pharmacological    experiment. People's Health Publishing House. 2002, 1:1429-   8. Principles of Pre-clinical Research of New Drugs, People's    Republic of China. 1993, 7:137-139-   9. Principles of Pre-clinical Research of New Drugs, People's    Republic of China. 1993, 7:96-   10. Shuyun Xu, Rulian Bian, Xiu Chen. Methodology of pharmacological    experiment. People's Health Publishing House. 2002, 1:1227-1228-   11. Principles of Pre-clinical Research of New Drugs, People's    Republic of China. 1993, 7:97-   12. Shuyun Xu, Rulian Bian, Xiu Chen. Methodology of pharmacological    experiment. People's Health Publishing House. 2002, 1:1227

Example 7 Delivery of Peptides Through Genetically EngineeredLactobacillus Bacterial Species

The following is provided as one exemplary method to deliver peptides ofthis invention to a host as described above. A DNA sequence that encodesa peptide selected from the group consisting of fragments of CMS-010(VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein said fragments do not comprise thesequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof is synthesizedby chemical means and this DNA sequence is inserted into an expressionvector using standard techniques of genetic engineering familiar tothose skilled in the art. The expression vector selected contains aconstitutive promoter functional in Lactobacilli, a multiple cloningsite for the introduction of DNA sequences in a specific 5′ to 3′orientation as well as a selectable marker gene that confers resistanceto an antibiotic (to aid in cloning procedures) and may comprise othersequences to assist in the production and/or secretion of the peptides,such as signal peptide sequences. An example of such a vector isprovided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,908, to Pavla, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. Briefly, this patent discussesseveral known promoters that function in Lactobacillus species, as wellas a method for discovering novel promoters in said bacteria, any ofwhich may be operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding a peptide of thepresent invention to express the peptide in Lactobacilli. A nucleic acidencoding a signal peptide, such as peptides comprising of 16 to 35mostly hydrophobic amino acids that are active in Lactobacillus lactisdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,908, cited above, is interposed betweenthe promoter and the nucleic acid encoding the peptide of the presentinvention such that the nucleic acid encoding the signal peptide is inframe with the nucleic acid encoding the peptide of the presentinvention.

In addition to the coding sequence of the peptide, the DNA sequencesynthesized may comprise sequences to aid in the ligation and cloning ofsaid DNA into the expression vector. For example, restriction enzymerecognition sites that correspond to ones found in the multiple cloningsite of the vector can be incorporated into the synthesized DNA at the5′ and 3′ ends of the sequence, so that the sequence can be cloned inproper orientation within the vector. Both the vector and thesynthesized DNA are digested with the particular restriction enzymes,then purified. Ligation reactions with the vector and the synthesizedDNA are followed by transformation into a suitable strain of E. Coli.The transformed bacteria are plated on media containing the antibioticto which the vector confers resistance. A colony of transformed bacteriais selected for growth cultures and plasmid preparation procedures; thepresence of the synthesized DNA in the correct orientation is confirmed.

This expression vector is then transformed into a bacterial host cell ofa Lactobacillus species, such as L. acidophilus. Transformed cells areselected for by virtue of the selectable marker found within the vectorsequence and the secretion of the peptide may be verified by performinga western blot, performing gel electrophoresis of peptides present inthe growth medium or other standard techniques. A transformed colony ofbacteria is chosen and used to prepare large-scale cultures of thegenetically engineered bacteria. A culture of the genetically engineeredbacteria expressing the desired peptide is grown up and at least aportion thereof is administered to the alimentary canal, vagina, tracheaor other area of the host organism in which the bacteria are able toreplicate. If desired, the bacterial cultures can be treated in avariety of ways to produce a supplement for enteric consumption by thehost. These treatments include lyophilization or other methods ofpreserving the bacteria, in addition to combining the bacteria withcarrier agents, such as solutions, solvents, dispersion media, delayagents, emulsions and the like. The use of these agents to preparesupplements is well known in the art. For example, the bacteria can beused to make cultured milk products or other foodstuffs for humanconsumption, such that the organism expressing the peptide colonizes thegut of the host organism. A number of different methods forincorporating specific strains of lactic acid bacteria into foodstuffssuch as yoghurt, kimchee, cheese and butter are disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 6,036,952, to Oh, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. Upon consuming the bacteria through one of any number ofroutes, the engineered organisms can colonize the gut and allow thepresentation and/or absorption of the peptides of this invention via themucosal layer of the gut.

Example 8 Delivery of Peptides Through a Genetically Engineered Form ofBacillus subtilis

The following is provided as another exemplary method to deliverpeptides of this invention to a host as described above. A DNA sequencethat encodes a peptide selected from the group consisting of fragmentsof CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein said fragments do not comprisethe sequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof issynthesized by chemical means and this DNA sequence is inserted into anexpression vector via techniques of genetic engineering, all techniquesbeing known in the art. The expression vector selected comprises ashuttle vector, such as pTZ18R (Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.), capable ofbeing propagated in both E. Coli and B. Subtilis and containing anantibiotic resistance gene for selecting colonies of transformedbacteria. This vector can contain a constitutive promoter active in B.subtilis, such as a promoter derived from the Sac B gene of B. subtilisas well as a nucleotide sequence encoding a signal peptide active in B.subtilis that directs efficient export of expressed heterologousproteins from the bacterial cell. An example of such a vector isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,169, to Fahnestock, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Briefly, asdetailed above, the DNA encoding a peptide of this invention will besynthesized with restriction enzymes sites and/or other sequences tofacilitate cloning of the DNA through techniques familiar to those withskill in the art. After transformation into E. Coli., plating, selectionand propagation of the plasmid to create a plasmid stock, the plasmid isthen be transformed into B. subtilis and transformants are selected byvirtue of resistance to an antibiotic in the plating media.

Peptide production in and secretion from the genetically engineered B.subtilis is verified using techniques well known to those with skill inthe art, such as radiolabeling of peptides for autoradiographicdetection after SDS-PAGE analysis or Western blotting.

A culture of genetically engineered bacteria is grown up and at least aportion thereof is administered to the alimentary canal, vagina, tracheaor other area of the host organism in which the bacteria are able toreplicate.

Example 9 Delivery of Peptides Through Genetically EngineeredSaccharomyces Yeast Species

The following is provided as another exemplary method to deliverpeptides of this invention to a host as described above. A DNA sequencethat a peptide selected from the group consisting of fragments ofCMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein said fragments do not comprise thesequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof is synthesizedby chemical means and this DNA sequence is inserted into an expressionvector via techniques of genetic engineering, all techniques being knownin the art. The expression vector selected comprises a stably maintainedyeast protein expression vector, comprising a constitutive yeastpromoter such as pADH1, sites for replication of the vector in bothyeast and E. Coli, a gene or genes that confer prototrophy to anauxotrophic yeast mutant for selection purposes, a multiple cloning site(MCS) and, if desired, sequences that code for a signal peptide. Vectorssuch as this are commercially available and well known in the art or canbe readily constructed using standard techniques After insertion of thesynthesized DNA into the yeast vector, transformation into E. Coli,plating of transformed E. Coli onto selective media, selection of atransformed bacterial colony and preparation of plasmid DNA from agrowth culture of bacteria from said colony, the vector is transformedinto Saccharomyces cerevisiae via well-known techniques such as lithiumacetate transformation or electroporation. The strain of Saccharomycescerevisiae selected for transformation is a mutant auxotrophic strainthat will require a gene on the plasmid in order to grow on minimalmedia plates. Transformed yeast colonies are isolated by plating theyeast on growth media lacking the gene provided on the vector. Onlythose yeast that have received the vector and its selective gene and areexpressing that gene product will be able to grow into colonies on theminimal media. Verification of peptide secretion can be obtained byperforming a Western blot, performing gel electrophoresis of peptidespresent in the growth medium or other standard techniques.

A transformed colony of yeast is chosen and used to prepare large scalecultures. A culture of the genetically engineered yeast expressing thedesired peptide is grown up and at least a portion thereof isadministered to the alimentary canal, vagina, trachea or other area ofthe host organism in which the bacteria are able to replicate. Ifdesired, the yeast cultures can be treated in a variety of ways toproduce a supplement for enteric consumption by the host. Thesetreatments include lyophilization or other methods of preserving yeast,in addition to combining the bacteria with carrier agents, such assolutions, solvents, dispersion media, delay agents, emulsions and thelike. The use of these agents to prepare supplements is well known inthe art. In another embodiment, the transformed yeast are used in thecreation of food products, such as fermented milk products like yoghurtand kefir, by techniques known to those skilled in the art. As with livelactic acid bacterial cultures in these foodstuffs, the transformedyeast colonize the gut at least transiently and serve to presentpeptides to the host via the gut lumen.

Example 10 Targeting of a Peptide to a Particular Location

The following is provided as an exemplary method to selectively delivera peptide of this invention to a particular compartment, organ, celltype or location within the body. In this case, a cell proliferativedisorder is treated by targeting a peptide selected from the groupconsisting of fragments of CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein saidfragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof to tissues in the kidney of an individual. Forexample, fragments of CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein saidfragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof are linked by covalent bonds via chemical reactionsknown in the art to low molecular weight (LMW) lysozyme, a commerciallyavailable protein moiety that concentrates specifically in renal tissue.Techniques for achieving conjugation of molecules to LMW lysozyme aredocumented (Folgert et al., Br. J. Pharmcology, 136:1107, 2002). Generaltechniques for conjugating proteins or peptides to one another are alsotaught in the literature of the field (Fischer et al., Bioconj. Chem.,12:825, 2001). The newly created conjugated peptide sample is thenpurified away from chemical reagents used in the linking process bychromotography methods such as cation exchange FPLC and/or gradientcentrifugation. Once purified, the conjugated peptide is administered toan individual in need of therapy for nephritic cell proliferativedisorder. For its anti-proliferative activity, fragments of CMS-010(VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein said fragments do not comprise thesequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof arepreferentially targeted to renal tissue by virtue of the link betweenthem and the LMW lysozyme, which is selectively concentrated in renaltissue by virtue of the affinity of the LMW lysozyme for the cells ofthe proximal tubules of the kidney. This preferential delivery allows agreater anti-proliferative effect compared to that of a molar equivalentamount of fragments of CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein saidfragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof by themselves. Inversely, it can reduce the amountof peptide drug required to achieve a certain level ofanti-proliferative activity.

Example 11 Enhancing the Delivery of a Peptide to its Active Site

The following is presented as an exemplary method to increase thedelivery of a neuroactive peptide to the brain. A peptide of the presentinvention that exerts its effects on receptors expressed by neurons ofthe brain is synthesized by chemical methods known to those with skillin the art. Alternatively, it can be expressed by an engineeredmicroorganism and recovered from a culture of such organisms, asdetailed in examples above. Once obtained in a purified form, thepeptide is utilized in a series of organic chemical reactions to createa triglyceride ester conjugated moiety, attached to the peptide. Theconjugated moiety consists of a quaternary substituted carbon centerjoined to the peptide of the invention through an amide bond with theterminal carboxyl carbon of the peptide. The other three groups attachedto the quarternary carbon center consist of carbon ester linkages to 16carbon fatty acid chains. The fatty acid chains themselves end interminal dipeptide group, known as a peptide mask, which makes thechains more hydrophilic and targets them to the blood-brain barrier'sendothelial cell membrane specifically. The procedure for this synthesisis explained at length in Patel et al., Bioconjugate Chem., 8(3):434,1997, and utilizes common reagents and equipment familiar to those withskill in the art.

Once introduced into an individual at a peripheral location, thecompound travels throughout the body via the circulatory system,interacting with the endothelial membrane of the blood brain barrier.Step-wise degradation of the dipeptide mask and the lipid chains duringthe transport of the molecule across the epithelial layer of theblood-brain barrier results in the release of the peptide of theinvention into the brain compartment. There the peptide can interactwith receptors on the surface of neurons to exert its effect on brainfunction. The time required for the drug to reach the blood brainbarrier and be transported to the brain, with the concomitantdegradation of the carrier moiety, alters the kinetics of the drug'sactivity, creating a more stable and longer lasting effect as comparedto the intracerebro ventricular injection of the free peptide.

Example 12 Creating Peptide Formulations that are Resistant to EnzymaticDegradation

The following is provided as an exemplary method for creating aformulation of a biologically active peptide for oral administrationthat is resistant to the activity of proteases and peptidases found inand along the surface of the digestive tract. In this example, a peptideselected from the group consisting of fragments of CMS-010(VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein said fragments do not comprise thesequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof is utilized inthe making of a pharmaceutical formulation for oral administration to apatient. As described in Larionova et al. (Int. J. Pharma., 189:171,1999), the peptide is used in the creation of microparticles withsoluble starch and a protease inhibitor, aprotinin, that is a stronginhibitor of a variety of luminally secreted and brush bordermembrane-bound proteases. Briefly, soluble starch, the proteaseinhibitor aprotinin and the peptide of the invention are dissolved in anaqueous buffer. The ratios of soluble starch, aprotinin, and peptide aredetermined by experimental methods familiar to one with skill in theart; for example, Larionova et al. utilized in vitro simulated digestionassays to determine the ratios and preparation conditions most effectivefor the protein used in their study. The aqueous solution is emulsifiedunder mechanical agitation in cyclohexane (1:3 ratio, v/v) containing 5%Span-80, a non-ionic surfactant. A terephthaloyl chloride solution inchloroform is added to the emulsion and stirring is continued 30minutes, during which the starch molecules are cross-linked with theaprotinin and the peptide. The microparticles created in that processare washed with sequentially with cyclo-hexane, a 95% ethanol solutionwith 2% v/v Tween 85 detergent, 95% ethanol and water. Themicroparticles are resuspended in water and lyophilized. The lyophilizedcompound can be placed into gelatin capsules for oral delivery to theindividual in need of treatment.

Once ingested, the compound is released as the gelatin capsuledissolved. The microparticles are broken down in the small intestine bythe action of α amylase on the starch molecules, leading to the gradualrelease of aprotinin and the peptide of the invention. The concurrentrelease of the potent protease inhibitor aprotinin at the same time andlocation of the peptide decreases the enzymatic degradation of thepeptide and increases the proportion of intact peptide available forabsorption through the gut membrane.

While the present invention has been described using the aforementionedmethods and data and the specific examples of fragments of the CMS-010peptide (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) and functional derivatives thereof in somecases, it is understood that this is an example only and should not betaken as limitation to the present invention. It should also beunderstood that fragments of CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein saidfragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof represents particular embodiments of the presentinvention and the same principle of the present invention can also applyto other functionally equivalent peptides that have been modifiedwithout affecting the biological function of fragments of CMS-010(VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein said fragments do not comprise thesequence of CMS-010) and functional derivatives thereof. For example,equivalents of peptide fragments of CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK)(wherein said fragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) andfunctional derivatives thereof include those that have conservativeamino acid substitutions (i.e. any one of the V, A, P, E, H, L, A, N, Kor T, replaced by another amino acid having a residue within the samebiochemical type such as hydrophobic, hydrophilic, positive ornegatively charged groups). Another example of an equivalent peptide topeptide fragments of CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK) (wherein saidfragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) and functionalderivatives thereof is a slightly longer peptide, such as one or twoamino acids longer, that retains the same biological activities.Furthermore, although the disease or disorder described above for themedical application of fragments of CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK)(wherein said fragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) andfunctional derivatives thereof specifically recite cell proliferativeand immunological disorders and/or diseases, these medical applicationsare used as non-limiting examples only and should not be used to limitthe scope of the claims. It is clear that there are otherpossible/intended uses of fragments of CMS-010 (VAPEEHPTLLTEAPLNPK)(wherein said fragments do not comprise the sequence of CMS-010) andfunctional derivatives thereof, such as for use as a health foodsupplement to modulate the immune system of a normal person or a patientwith any immune and/or cell proliferative disorders and/or diseases. Anysuch uses also fall within the scope of the present invention.

1.-48. (canceled)
 49. An isolated, purified peptide selected from SEQ IDNO. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 21, 24, 27 or
 28. 50. Apharmaceutical composition, comprising the peptide of claim 49, and apharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
 51. A method of treating a disease,comprising administering to a subject in need thereof an effectiveamount of the peptide of claim 49 for suppressing cell proliferation,suppressing tumor growth or modulating immune system by in vivotransformation of T-lymphocytes, in vitro Con A transformation ofT-lymphocytes, or enhancement of NK cells.
 52. The method according toclaim 51, wherein the cell proliferation comprises the development ofsarcoma cells in vivo.
 53. A method of treating a disease associatedwith, or a cell proliferative or immunological disorder, comprisingadministering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effectiveamount of a peptide selected from SEQ ID NO. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12,13, 14, 17, 21 24, 27 or
 28. 54. The method according to claim 53,wherein the disease comprises a cell proliferative disorder or animmunological disorder.
 55. The method according to claim 54, whereinthe cell proliferative disorder comprises cancer.
 56. The methodaccording to claim 55, wherein the cancer comprises a tumor.
 57. Themethod according to claim 56, wherein the tumor comprises a sarcoma. 58.The method according to claim 53, wherein the treatment of theimmunological disorder comprises the in vivo transformation ofT-lymphocytes, in vitro Con A transformation of T-lymphocytes orenhancement of NK cells.
 59. An isolated, purified peptide consisting ofan N-terminal sequence VAPEE, a sequence HPTLL operatively linked by itsamino terminus thereto, and a carboxy terminal sequence TEAPLNP ortruncated portion thereof that is operatively linked to the carboxyterminus of the HPTLL sequence.
 60. A pharmaceutical composition,comprising the peptide of claim 59, and a pharmaceutically acceptablecarrier.
 61. A method of treating a disease associated with, or a cellproliferative or immunological disorder, comprising administering to asubject in need thereof an amount of the peptide of claim 59 effectivefor suppressing cell proliferation, suppressing tumor growth, ormodulating the immune system by in vivo transformation of T-lymphocytes,in vitro Con A transformation of T-lymphocytes, or enhancement of NKcells.
 62. The method according to claim 61, wherein the cellproliferation comprises the in vivo development of sarcoma cells.